Anti-Sniper strategy

“

Perhaps they can bury you in that van you call 'home.' Click to listen — The Spy

”

The Sniper is an extremely dangerous class at long range due to his ability to kill any class instantly with a fully charged headshot. Generally, the best way to engage a Sniper is to get as close as possible because he lacks substantial close-ranged weaponry. However, at far range, one should generally try dodging the Sniper by moving erratically, using a mix of random crouches and jumps. This however, may be less effective against more skilled Snipers. A cornered Sniper has few options available except to run or engage you with weaker weapons, such as his Submachine Gun or melee weapon. Keep in mind that a Sniper can inflict bleeding damage or Mini-Crit vulnerability, depending on his weapon loadout. Further, Snipers who use the Huntsman can quickly shoot arrows which are effective at short to mid range, although this weapon takes away from the Sniper's long-range effectiveness.

General

Attributes	Anti-Sniper strategy
Role	Make use of any available cover; if you must expose yourself, keep moving or else you will be an easy target. A Sniper is most effective when he fights from a distance, so close the gap between you and him to increase your chances of survival.
Health	The Sniper has a rather low amount of health; he is quite vulnerable at close range and will generally lose a fight against sturdier classes.
Speed	The Sniper walks and runs at an average pace, but he lags behind his team's main force for protection. In addition, he moves very slowly while scoped in. This makes the Sniper's ability to flee from fights rather poor.
Power	The Sniper's primary weapons are unaffected by damage ramp-up and fall-off, making the Sniper very dangerous even at long ranges. They also have the ability to kill players instantly, so try to not get hit by them at all.

Weapon Specific

A list of useful tidbits about the Sniper's tools, and how to counter them.

Primary Weapons

A Sniper has a very limited field of vision while he scopes in with his Sniper Rifle; ambush him from the side or the back. A Sniper's aim will be disrupted if he takes damage while scoped, so try to hurt him if you get caught in his sights. Firing projectiles (such as rockets) may intimidate a Sniper into dodging it, denying him the time to take a clean shot.

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Sniper Rifle	Keep moving from cover to cover, and limit your time out in the open. If you believe Snipers are watching the upcoming path, find an alternate one to bypass or ambush them, if possible.
Huntsman	While Huntsman arrows are nowhere as fast as bullets, they are just as dangerous, even moreso the closer the Sniper is to his target. If you approach a Sniper using this weapon, be sure to kill him before he gets a chance to drive an arrow into you. If you have already caught his attention, move erratically to make his shots less accurate. If you can, make him airborne, as this will prevent him from firing an arrow until he lands. Also be wary of rushing blindly into corridors, as a Sniper may ambush you with the Huntsman's taunt-kill.
Sydney Sleeper	Don't underestimate the Sydney Sleeper due to its inability to perform headshots; it can reach full charge faster than the standard Sniper Rifle (a fully charged bodyshot can kill classes that have 150 HP or less), and will coat you in Jarate when charged over 50%. The Jarate effect proves to be very hazardous if you have just run into enemy forces, since they will likely target you now.
Bazaar Bargain	Snipers spawning with the Bazaar Bargain are at a disadvantage, requiring a longer time to charge high-damage shots. However, any headshot will hasten the Bazaar Bargain's charge rate; make sure to take constant cover. Bodyshots reduce the bonus, while a miss will wipe it - if you can't make a Sniper miss, at least force him to strike your body instead of your head.
Machina	The Machina will only fire when it is zoomed in, so close the distance to force the Sniper into using another weapon. A Sniper may wait to fully charge his shot to get the benefits of this weapon; try to disrupt him with erratic movement or damage, lest you suffer a hit that is likely to be lethal. Be wary of lining up with another teammate out in the open; a Sniper skilled with the Machina may succeed in shooting (and killing) you both. The tracer rounds that the Machina fires make finding the Sniper who fired the shot an easy task - just be aware of other Snipers using the weapon, as a single tracer bullet can be hard to trace back to the corresponding Sniper when there are multiple trails on screen.

Secondary Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
SMG	The Submachine Gun is surprisingly accurate, yet ineffective at longer ranges. If a Sniper attempts to attack you with it, try to move away from him while attacking with a more powerful weapon. The SMG only contains three clips of ammo, so it may not take long before the Sniper must resort to another weapon.
Razorback	The Razorback deprives a Sniper of his Secondary weapon, so attack him just outside his melee range. This item may discourage Spies from backstabbing him, but it shouldn't deter you from attacking him from outside his view anyway.
Jarate	It is often best to retreat for cover if covered in Jarate, as you will most likely be pursued by the Sniper's teammates, who can now inflict Mini-Crits on you. Jarate can be removed by extended Healing, entering water, or touching a Supply Cabinet.
Darwin's Danger Shield	Do not underestimate the health of a Sniper using the Shield; take advantage of his lack of a secondary weapon and kill him outside of his melee range. As a Spy, do not be intimidated by the presence of the Darwin's Danger Shield on a potential victim; the item does not prevent backstabs like the Razorback does.

Melee Weapons

Weapon	Anti-Sniper strategy
Kukri / Saxxy / Conscientious Objector	A Sniper will generally only use his Kukri as a last resort. Simply back up and finish the Sniper off.
Tribalman's Shiv	The Tribalman's Shiv does less damage upfront, meaning you will probably kill the Sniper in melee combat. However, the bleeding causes it to do more damage over time, so have an idea of where health kits and Medics are before facing a Sniper wielding one. Do not let the Sniper get close to you if you have been doused in Jarate, as bleeding is affected by Mini-Crits.
Bushwacka	A Sniper will typically pull out his Bushwacka after dousing you in Jarate. Wait for the effect to fade away before confronting him or keep your distance as you attack. Keep away from a Sniper with the Bushwacka if you have used Crit-a-Cola or if he is buffed by the Buff Banner, as all his Mini-Crits will become critical hits. A Sniper equipped with the Bushwhacka suffers 20% more damage from fire, allowing Pyros to kill him more quickly; the additional fire damage won't change the outcome of many close range fights with Pyros, however it does make the Flare Gun particularly potent, a single shot will leave a Sniper critically wounded, a hit on a burning Sniper is invariably fatal.
Shahanshah	Be careful in engaging in prolonged melee combat with a Sniper wielding the Shahanshah. At over 50% health, the weapon will do 25% less damage than normal; once a Sniper's health is under 50%, the weapon will do 25% more damage than normal. A Sniper wielding this weapon may purposely run into harm's way in order to deal serious damage to you once he gets within melee range; kill him before he does.

Class Set

Set	Anti-Sniper strategy
The Croc-o-style Kit	A Sniper using this set is even more vulnerable than usual at closer ranges due to a weaker primary weapon, a lack of a secondary weapon, and an increased vulnerability to fire. If you are counter-sniping, aim for the upper body instead of the head, as a fully-charged bodyshot will still kill the Croc-o-Style Sniper whereas a headshot would be wasted.
Lawrence of Australia	This set is geared towards the offensive Sniper, so fight him mid-range to render his weapon bonuses useless.

See also

• Team strategy